Bass, Pike, Perch, and OthersHenshall, James A. (James Alexander)
Science
Bass, Pike, Perch, and Others
Henshall, James A. (James Alexander)
Fishes; Fishing
The schoolmaster is very similar to the dog snapper in its general form,
but differs greatly in coloration. Its body is rather deep and
compressed, its depth being more than a third of its length, and the
back is more elevated than in the dog snapper. The head is large, as
long as the depth of the body, with a large mouth; the profile is
straight from snout to the nape, thence regularly arched to the tail;
the snout is long and pointed. The predominating color is orange,
olivaceous on the back and top of the head, with eight or nine vertical
bars across the body, equidistant, of a pale or bluish white color, the
wider interspaces being red; the cheeks and gill-covers are red, with a
row of small blue spots from the snout across the cheeks, just below the
eye; all of the fins are yellow, more or less shaded with red.
The schoolmaster grows to about the same size as the dog snapper,
usually from eight to ten inches, sometimes to a foot in length, and a
pound or two in weight. It feeds on small fishes, crabs, and other
crustaceans, and is a good food-fish. It is a fairly good game-fish,
and on light tackle fights with vigor and considerable resistance.
Sproat hooks Nos. 1-0 and 2-0 are quite suitable, and should be tied on
gut snells. A sinker adapted to the strength of the tide must be used in
the deep-water channels. Sea-crawfish, anchovies, or whirligig mullets
are good baits.
The mangrove snapper (_Lutianus griseus_) and the mutton-fish (_Lutianus
analis_) are larger snappers and better game-fishes. They are described
in another volume of this series.
THE PORGY FAMILY
(_Sparidæ_)
The porgies of Florida belong to the family _Sparidæ_ previously
described, but not to the same genus as the northern porgy, as the scup
is sometimes called. They are characterized by a deep, compressed body,
humpbacked, with a large head and deep snout, and with a knob in front
of the eye. The mouth is small, with strong, caninelike teeth and
molars.
_Calamus bajonado._ The Jolt-head Porgy. Body oblong,
compressed and elevated over the shoulders; head 3; depth
2-2/5; eye 3; scales 7-54-17; D. XII, 12; A. III, 10; anterior
profile evenly curved; mouth moderate, maxillary not reaching
front of eye; snout long and pointed; teeth strong, conical; anterior
teeth enlarged, 2 or 3 on each side in the upper jaw, and 3 or
4 on each side in the lower; molars in 3 series in the upper,
and 2 in the lower jaw; dorsal fin single with slender spines.
_Calamus calamus._ The Saucer-eye Porgy. Body oblong, elevated
more than the other porgies; head 3-1/3; depth 2; eye 3-3/4;
scales 9-54-16; D. XII, 12; A. III, 10; anterior profile steep;
outline of snout slightly curved; mouth small, maxillary not
reaching front of eye; outer teeth strong, 10 or 12 in number,
the outer one in each jaw, on each side, caninelike; dorsal
spines rather strong.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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